In the largest study of its type in Switzerland, real estate firm Iazi has revealed the best Swiss towns and cities to live in for 2024. The highest-performing places were found in the centre of the country, with first place going to a small town in Canton Lucerne.

Which Swiss towns are the best to live in?

To create the annual Swiss Council Ratings (Gemeinderatings 2023), Iazi analysed all towns and cities in Switzerland with over 2.000 inhabitants, to see which are the best to live in. 948 different Swiss councils were included in the study, making it the most thorough study of its kind in the alpine nation.

To rank each town, the report analysed how they performed across 51 different categories and metrics. These include (but are not limited to):

• Housing: cost of buying a house, rates of new housing construction, rental vacancy rate, cost of rent
• Labour market: rate of unemployment, number of new businesses
• Population structure: demographics, population growth
• Tax burden: tax yield, tax rates
• Mobility: availability of public transport, access to major roads and motorways
• Supply: number of doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, schools, shopping centres and supermarkets
• Security: crime rates
• Ecology: leisure activities, number of cultural venues and historical sites

A collection of data provided by the government and cantonal authorities was used to give ratings in each area. Each town was then ranked from first to 948th based on a weighted overall score.

Meggen named the best place to live in Switzerland

For 2024, the town of Meggen in Canton Lucerne was rated as the best place to live in Switzerland. The town of 7.700 people on the banks of Lake Lucerne took first from two-time consecutive winner Zug, which dropped to fifth place in the ranking.

Iazi explained that Meggen was given the top spot thanks to its stunning natural spaces, attractive (but not cheap) housing, idyllic location and castle, and its strong sense of community. Situated on the “Central Swiss Gold Coast”, the town’s incredibly low tax rate was also a source of high praise.

Speaking to Blick, Mayor Carmen Holdener said that "most people see living in Meggen as a privilege," adding that despite being known for mansions, it remains a diverse community. “You walk through the village and are greeted on the street. That still impresses me today and is what makes our community so charming and idyllic."

Second place on the ranking went to the Nidwalden town of Hergiswil, which was praised for its low taxes, leisure activities and how well connected it is to public transport. Writing in the report, author Donato Scognamiglio noted that the rest of the top 10 earned their places due to their low tax rates, and proximity to public services, cities and leisure activities like lakes.

10 best places to live in Switzerland

In all, here are the 10 best places to live in Switzerland:

1. Meggen, Lucerne
2. Hergiswil, Nidwalden
3. Oberkirch, Lucerne
4. Cham, Zug
5. Zug
6. Zollikon, Zurich
7. Freienbach, Schwyz
8. Küsnacht, Zurich
9. Hünenberg, Zug
10. Kilchberg, Zurich

While places like Meggen, Oberkrich and Zug were rated as the best places to live because of their high quality of life and low taxes, the financial barrier to start living in there is equally high. For instance, the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office found that Cantons Zug, Zurich and Schwyz are the most expensive places to rent a house in Switzerland.

Val-de-Travers wins unfortunate title of worst town in Switzerland

On the opposite end of the ranking, the Neuchâtel town of Val-de-Travers was rated as the worst place to live in Switzerland. The Valais town of Chamoson and fellow Neuchâteloise village of Le Locle rounded out the bottom three.

The report explained that the Val-de-Travers is poorly connected to public transport, has few jobs available and has worse-rated public services. Residents of the town are also faced with the highest overall tax burden in Switzerland. There, someone earning 80.000 francs a year is charged 12.094 francs in taxes, compared to just 6.401 francs in Meggen and 5.848 francs in Zollikon.

There was also a mixed performance among the largest Swiss cities, with most performing worse than last year. Zurich dropped from 45th in 2023 to 54th today while Basel went from 93rd to 486th and Bern went from 199th to 491st. Iazi explained that this can be blamed on fewer available apartments and new businesses, and higher rates of unemployment.

10 worst places to live in Switzerland

In all, here are the worst places to live in Switzerland, according to Iazi:

1. Val-de-Travers, Neuchâtel 
2. Chamoson, Valais
3. Le Locle, Neuchâtel 
4. Riviera, Ticino
5. Pieterlen, Bern
6. Biasca, Ticino
7. Diemtigen, Bern
8. St. Immer, Bern
9. La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel 
10. Tramelan, Bern

For more information, and to see how your hometown ranked, check out the official website (paid article).